USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN HEALTHY WATERSHEDS INITIATIVE - ARKANSAS

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

FY 2015 • 13 States• 40 Focus Areas• (13 continuing watershed

from 2012 and 27 new areas)

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

ARKANSAS MRBI FOCUS WATERSHEDS

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

MRBI FUNDING SINCE 2010Year Contracts Acres Obligated

2010 37 12,238 $3,027,278

2011 217 62,911 $5,946,964

2012 404 92,229 $16,836,340

2013 453 107,998 $27,067,199

2014 455 98,645 $23,344,187

2015 to date 113 21,449 $7,504,900

1,679 395,470 $83,726,868

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

NRCS CONSERVATION PROGRAM FUNDSDEDICATED TO MRBI

2015 New MRBI Projects

2015 Funding

Total Project FundsEQIP / CSP

Upper Cache River $399,900 $3,401,831 $1,500,000

Strawberry River $500,000 $2,000,004

Caney Creek $600,600 $2,400,032

Total $1,500,500 $7,801,876 $1,500,000

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

NRCS CONSERVATION PROGRAM FUNDSDEDICATED TO MRBI

2012 MRBI Projects Extension

2015 Funding

Middle Cache $0

EAEC $406,500

Lower AR Upper $269,800

Bayou Meto Middle $243,900

Grand Prairie $669,200

Bayou Meto AR County $703,300

Total $2,292,700

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

AVOIDING, CONTROLLING, TRAPPING(ACT)

Trapping Controlling

Avoiding

ACT

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

AVOIDING328 - Conservation Crop Rotation340 - Cover Crop528 - Prescribed Grazing590 - Nutrient Management633 - Waste Utilization

CONTROLLING329 - Residue & Tillage Management - No Till/Strip Till345 - Residue & Tillage Management - Mulch Till346 - Residue & Tillage Management - Ridge Till412 - Grassed Waterway449 – Irrigation Water Management512 - Forage and Biomass Planting554 - Drainage Water Management643 - Restoration & Management of Declining Habitats645 - Upland Wildlife Habitat Management441 – Irrigation System, Micro Irrigation442 – Irrigation System, Sprinkler443 – Irrigation System, Surface and Subsurface447 – Tailwater Recovery

CORE CONSERVATION PRACTICES

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

CORE CONSERVATION PRACTICES

TRAPPING356 - Dike 601- Vegetative Barriers 390 - Riparian Herbaceous Cover 635- Vegetative Treatment391 - Riparian Forest Buffer 656- Constructed Wetland393 - Filter Strip 657- Wetland Restoration436 – Irrigation Storage Reservoir 658- Wetland Creation580 – Streambank and Shoreline 659-Wetland Enhancement Protection

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

SUPPORTING CONSERVATION PRACTICESAVOIDING313 - Waste Storage Facility317 - Composting Facility327 - Conservation Cover381 - Silvopasture Establishment382 - Fence472 - Access Control511 - Forage Harvest Management558 - Roof Runoff Structure561 - Heavy Use Area Protection612 - Tree & Shrub Planting632 - Solid/Liquid Waste Separation Facility634 - Waste Transfer642 – Well574 – Spring Development

CONTROLLING324 - Deep Tillage342 - Critical Area Planting362 - Diversion386 - Field Border410 - Grade Stabilization Structure430 - Irrigation Water Conveyance449 - Irrigation Water Management464 – Irrigation Land Leveling484 - Mulching533 - Pumping Plant587 - Structure for Water Control607 - Surface Drainage608 – Surface Drain, Main, or Lateral620 - Underground Outlet638 - Water & Sediment Control Basin

TRAPPING342 - Critical Area Planting 533 - Pumping Plant350 - Sediment Basin 587 - Structure for Water Control356 - Dike 629 - Waste Treatment490 – Forest Site Preparation 638 - Water & Sediment Control Basin644- Wetland Wildlife Habitat Mngt. 646 - Shallow Water Development and Management

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

EXPECTED WATER QUALITY RESULTS

•Reduced nitrogen and phosphorus loading into waterways

•Reduced sediment from sheet & rill erosion

•Reduced sediment from irrigation-induced erosion

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

MRBI/RCPP VS GENERAL CONSERVATION PROGRAMSMRBI/RCPP General Programs

Projects proposed by NRCS with conservation partner input

Funding provided through NRCS without matching contributions from partners

NRCS and Partners develop ranking questions

State Technical Committee chooses ranking questions

NRCS and Partners choose conservation practices for a systems approach

Most available practices can be selected by farmers

Funding is provided within a specific targeted project area

Funding is statewide

Water quality monitoring and evaluation is included in conservation practices

Water quality monitoring and evaluation is not available

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

PRIMARY COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION PARTNERS 2010/2015

Project Sponsors Monitoring Partners

Local Conservation Districts

University of Arkansas

Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts

University of Arkansas Extension Service

Arkansas Natural Conservation Commission

Arkansas State University

The Nature Conservancy Agricultural Research Service

Agricultural Industry University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

TAILWATER RECOVERY

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

COVER CROP

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

WATER QUALITY EVALUATION AND MONITORING

Voluntary monitoring to determine effects of conservation practice installation

Partnering with University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Arkansas State University, and U.S. Agricultural Research Service

Discovery Farm Protocols

EPA Specifications

1 or 2 farms per project

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

WATER QUALITY MONITORING AND EVALUATION

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT

Adding additional conservation practices as needed

Adjusting ranking criteria

Annual review of projects with sponsors

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

• Strong commitment to conservation• Streamlining/consolidation• Maintains programs• Flexibility for targeting assistance to address

priority natural resource concerns

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

• Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)• 2014/2015 RCPP• 115 projects were selected from 600 preproposals • $370 million• Arkansas had 23 preproposals • 4 were awarded funding-$15 million$2 million state projects$3 million CCA$10 million National-$3.2 million to Arkansas

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

Arkansas conservation partners were approved for four RCPP projects:

• 2 State-$2 million• 1 National-$10

million• Critical

Conservation Area (CCA)-$3 million

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

2016 RCPP265 preproposals were submitted

nation wide for $225 million165 were invited to submit a full

proposals by Nov 10th8 preproposals submitted from

Arkansas5 were invited to submit a full

proposals

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

Arkansas (CCA)Indian, Wabbeseka, and Salt BayouWest Fork White RiverGreers Ferry Lake WatershedEast Fork Cadron CreekReducing Erosion in Bayou Deview

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

RED RIVER RCPP PRACTICES

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

Illinois River Watershed Initiative2011-20185th year of projectArkansas594 contracts on 46,622 acresObligation: $17,323,124

6 sub-watersheds contribute 45 contracts on 3,908 acres for over $850,000.Top practices: forage and biomass planting, prescribed grazing, fencing, waste storage facility and amendments for treatment of ag waste.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

To File a Complaint of Discrimination:

The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S. W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.